The Night Watcher of Great Jing - Chapter 22

There had been a few complications along the way, but the operation to break the Yin-Gathering Pool was complete.

There was still much to be done—finding Miss Lin’s body, clearing the canal, and handling the rest of the aftermath.

According to the original plan, Zhao Li should have been directing all of it. Now Shen Yan had taken charge personally.

With one injury piled atop another, Zhao Li spent the night recuperating in a temporary tent.

After hearing the full story and learning that the Jingning Guard intended to recover a corpse, Daoist Xuanxu grew immensely curious and went around asking questions.

Before dawn, he arrived outside Zhao Li’s tent and volunteered to brew medicine for her.

Shen Yan naturally did not refuse. He handed over every precious medicinal herb that his men had rushed from Shengjing overnight.

Daoist Xuanxu lived up to expectations and brought out all his skill.

Not long after Zhao Li regained consciousness, the old Daoist came looking for her with Shen Yan and the freshly brewed medicine.

Expressionless, Zhao Li stared at the substance in the bowl before her. It was pitch-black, thick, and viscous enough to draw strings.

She looked up at Shen Yan and Daoist Xuanxu, who stood in front of her.

“Go on, drink!” Daoist Xuanxu stroked the beard beneath his chin, immensely pleased with himself.

Concentration was the very essence of medicine, and this bowl of elixir was his masterpiece.

“Drink.”

Shen Yan offered her the bowl again.

Then he reached inside his robe and took out a small paper packet filled with specially prepared candied fruit.

Gritting her teeth, Zhao Li accepted the medicine.

It was only Chinese medicine, she thought. However bitter it was, surely there had to be a limit.

She raised the still-warm concoction to her lips, tipped her head back, and gulped it down in more than a dozen mighty swallows.

Shen Yan’s brow twitched. Daoist Xuanxu’s medicine was famous not only for its extraordinary effects, but also for tasting atrocious.

Even Daoist Xuanxu looked surprised. Then an approving smile appeared on his face. Few people drank the medicine he brewed so obediently.

Zhao Li lowered the bowl. A sickly green tinge crept across her pale face.

She began to retch.

She had been careless!

What was in that bowl could hardly be called medicine. It was more like thick tar.

It burrowed straight down her throat, so stringy she could not even bite through it.

Sour, bitter, spicy, salty, and fishy—the five flavors blasted straight through the crown of her skull.

Still dry-heaving, Zhao Li snatched the candied fruit from Shen Yan and stuffed it into her mouth.

Her tongue had only just endured that bitter medicine when the candied plum dissolved against it. A sweetness so extreme exploded through her mouth and made her scalp tingle.

She had never imagined a dried plum could be even more terrifyingly sweet than an Indian syrup dumpling.

Had these two come here first thing in the morning specifically to torment her?

But when she raised her head, she saw her superior’s faintly furrowed brow and the concern in his eyes.

“Is it good?” Shen Yan asked.

He had known Daoist Xuanxu’s medicine tasted awful and had brought this especially for her. Surely it made a fine accompaniment to the medicine!

Zhao Li looked at his darkly handsome face.

“Y-Yes. Delicious.”

Without daring to chew, she swallowed the candied plum whole, tears in her eyes.

Once she had taken the medicine, some color returned to her face.

Daoist Xuanxu was just about to impatiently ask the questions plaguing him when an exaggerated cry came from outside.

“Goodness! Lord Lin, Grand Councillor Lin, why are you standing outside the tent spying on them?”

As the question rang out, the tent flap lifted to reveal two men standing behind it.

Huang Li was grinning like a fox that had just stolen a chicken.

By contrast, Lin Zhu’s face was flushed crimson with embarrassment. “My back merely aches, so I stopped to rest my feet. Where did this nonsense about spying come from?”

“Oh? I thought you had made a grave mistake yesterday, harmed both yourself and everyone else, and were now too ashamed to go inside!”

Huang Li’s face was full of mockery. He looked ready to take up a brush on the spot and immortalize the old bastard’s mortified expression in a painting.

“Huang! Do not go too far!”

“And what if I do? What can you do about it?”

…

Like two quarrelsome men in a marketplace, they stood outside the tent bickering without the slightest concern for dignity.

The attendant holding up the flap did not dare let go, but his arm was growing sore. For a time, he stood frozen in place.

“That is Grand Secretary Huang Li.”

While Zhao Li was still looking bewildered, Shen Yan quietly explained beside her and indicated Huang Li.

As far as he knew, Lin Zhu was Zhao Li’s maternal grandfather and obviously needed no introduction.

He had no idea that Zhao Li genuinely did not recognize the man.

She had met him only once in passing four months ago. In the original Zhao Li’s memories, her grandfather was little more than a vague figure looking down on her from on high.

There had been a dissatisfied snort, a calligraphy model, and a reminder that she must study and practice her writing properly so as not to disgrace the Zhao family.

The current Zhao Li remembered even less.

She only felt that Great Jing’s martial spirit truly ran deep. These two old men, who both appeared to be high officials, looked as though they might start throwing punches at any moment!

Zhao Li was silently cheering Lord Huang on when Shen Yan frowned and said in a deep voice, “My lords, if you wish to fight, please go farther away.”

He would not have them disturbing A-Li’s rest.

Shen Yan might have been young, but he was a force no one at court could overlook.

Besides, the two old men did not truly intend to fight. Otherwise, they would have started wrestling long ago instead of merely spraying each other with spittle.

At his words, both fell silent.

Huang Li gave a smug snort and entered the tent first.

He had never won a physical altercation at court. Now that the Lin brute had wrenched his back, if Huang Li did not put on airs today, when would he ever get another chance?

Lin Zhu hesitated, then followed with one hand bracing his waist.

“A-Li, how are you feeling?” Huang Li asked with a beaming smile as soon as he entered.

“Better.” Zhao Li was uncomfortable with his instant familiarity. “Thank you for your concern, Lord Huang.”

“There is no need to call me Lord Huang. That is far too distant. My granddaughter is about your age. If you do not object, you may call me Grandfather too!”

Huang Li smiled and stroked his beard.

Zhao Li mumbled something vague in embarrassment. She was not accustomed to people acting so familiar with her.

Lin Zhu, however, suddenly whipped his head around and glared at Huang Li.

This treacherous wretch was practically rattling the beads of his abacus in everyone’s ears. What wicked intentions!

“Enough. Let us attend to business,” Shen Yan said, putting a stop to the subject.

Once again, his words ended the dispute and rescued Zhao Li from her embarrassment.

Together, they moved to Shen Yan’s tent next door.

His men brought in folding stools and long tables.

Daoist Xuanxu, Huang Li, and Lin Zhu sat in a neat row to listen.

Shen Yan addressed Lu Zhao and the others he had summoned inside. “You did well yesterday.”

“We hardly deserve such praise!”

Facing his superior was usually pressure enough. Today, several grand councillors were sitting to the side as well.

Lu Zhao rose stiffly and saluted.

After that brief word of encouragement to open the meeting, Shen Yan turned and signaled to Zhao Li.

Yin energy had invaded Zhao Li’s body. Looking like a patient with a severe cold, she was wrapped in a wolf-fur cloak sent from Shengjing and held a bowl of hot water in both hands.

“There should be no serious danger left in the forest,” Zhao Li said.

She took a small sip of hot water and felt some warmth return to her icy organs.

“There may be a few animals affected by yesterday’s yin energy. Some recently buried corpses may also have risen from damaged graves and turned into shambling corpses.”

“But these shambling corpses are very different from jiangshi. They pose little danger.”

Such creatures were merely remains animated by shifts in yin energy. They moved slowly and were not even as strong as they had been in life. They presented almost no threat at all.

By noon, when the residual yin energy dispersed, they would collapse by the roadside on their own.

The greatest harm they could inflict on a person was probably psychological trauma.

Zhao Li sniffled as she spoke, entirely unaware that her casual explanation had almost overturned several people’s understanding of the world.

“S-Shambling corpses?!”

Lu Zhao swallowed hard and once again felt the urge to resign.

He glanced at Zhao Li, who held her hot water with perfect composure.

Little ancestor, do you hear the things coming out of your own mouth?

A corpse being able to move was already extremely dangerous, all right?!